Restart highways construction on war footing: Nitin Gadkari.
According to union minister Nitin Gadkari said, turning 'crisis into opportunity', India needs renewed focus on infrastructure in the wake of the damage caused by COVID-19.
He said talks are on with state governments to restart highway construction projects where migrant labourers can be gainfully employed.
In a video-conference with the Press, the road transport, highways and MSME minister said talks are on with state governments for facilitating safe return of migrant labourers, an estimated 20 lakh of whom are in shelters pan-India.
He said an estimated about 20 lakh migrant labourers are stuck in shelters or have gone back to villages and in view of the Disaster Management Act being in place, district collectors can take a decision on it.
He said plans are afoot to boost the highways sector. A committee has already been set up, he said, adding that work needs to be commenced on a war footing on highway projects, including the Rs 1 lakh crore Delhi-Mumbai new expressway which would usher in development of backward and far-flung areas of Rajasthan, Haryana, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.
Reiterating that the government has saved a massive Rs 16,000 crore on land acquisition as it is on a new alignment, the minister urged companies to come forward for setting up manufacturing hubs and clusters along the highway to boost economic growth
Besides, work on some other stretches also needs to be accelerated, like the Dehradun-Haridwar highway in view of the upcoming Kumbh Mela as it would not be possible to widen the highway during the event, the minister said.
He said there are six-seven flyovers which are required to be built on the Dehradun-Haridwar highway and talks are on with the state government officials for permission to start work while following all norms, including social distancing and sanitisation to prevent COVID-19
He said, as soon as we get permissions from the state government, we will start the construction work. Contractors will work in adherence to the norms while keeping safe for coronavirus. We will adhere to all guidelines.
Gadkari said the highways ministry plans to construct more than double the highways constructed in the last fiscal.
The NHAI has accomplished construction of 3,979 kms of national highways in the financial year 2019-20. This has been the highest ever highway construction achieved in a fiscal by NHAI. It had recorded construction of 3,380 km in the 2018-19, an official said.
The govt has envisaged an ambitious highway development programme -- Bharatmala Pariyojana --which includes development of about 65,000 kms of national highways.
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02-2026
